We had a wonderful multi-age group for Monday night's Owl Prowl. Together we explored the dark fields and woods of Charlotte C. Browne beneath a vividly star-studded sky. It was extra good luck to hear a barred owl calling from nearby as we gathered in the parking lot, and to hear the persistent calls of a saw-whet owl.
A big thank you to our presenters, retired USFS wildlife biologist Chris Costello and CLC Stewardship Director Debra Marnich, and to our "sweeper," Eric Marnich.
As we shared during the program, the greatest danger for raptors are anticoagulant rodenticides, or poisons used to kill rodents, which travel up the food chain to create long and painful deaths for raptors and, as you'll see in one of the articles below, for other birds and mammals as well. Both articles below have ideas for other ways of dealing with rodents in human spaces. Scroll down to learn more about these beautiful night-hunting creatures and how we can support their thriving,
Owls:
A wonderful book for kids and all ages, Owling: Enter the World of the Mysterious Birds of the Night, by Mark Wilson.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology with barred owl search results example
Talk by naturalist Lynne Flaccus, All About NH Owls
Rodenticides:
"Unintended: Rodenticides in New Hampshire's Wildlife," from New Hampshire Wildlife Journal
"The Trouble with Rodenticides," from Northern Woodlands.
Some other ways to help raptors and the whole web of life:
UNH Professor Alan Eaton on nesting requirements of NH raptors, with nest box plans
Natural Resources Conservation Services Nest and Den Boxes Specifications and Designs
Talk by CLC Stewardship Director Debra Marnich, Backyard Habitat in a Changing Climate
Keep on learning!
"The Proper Use of Playback in Birding," David Sibley
NH Birds Google Group, where folks post recent sightings
Other great online learning replays from Chocorua Lake Conservancy
Banner image: An Owl Prowl participant takes a close look at the leading edge of an owl's wing to understand why they are able to fly so silently. . Thank you to Tin Mountain Conservation Center for lending the owl and hawk's wings. Photo: Juno Lamb